Stephon Marbury: China Is Not For Everybody

Former Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury recently warned NBA stars contemplating overseas opportunities to reconsider. Marbury, who has extensive experience playing in China, believes overseas is hit-or-miss, with several players destined to miss. Via the New York Post:“‘I don’t think those guys will want to go through it,’ said Marbury, who is training in Los Angeles. ‘China is not for everybody — a whole ‘nother world. I don’t think they’re going to go there, not the big-time guys. Maybe they’d come for a little bit, but if the season is cancelled for the year, I don’t think they’d want to stay. They’ll want to go home. ‘I don’t think Carmelo Anthony is going to run like they want to run in practice,’ Marbury added. ‘They want to run you to death. The first time I got there, they ran in practice for two straight hours. I said, ‘Is that what we have to do every practice?’ Marbury said the exception is Bryant, who was raised in Italy. Marbury also said he is reaching out to his former Knicks teammate, Eddy Curry, to recommend China to kick-start his career. Curry is a free agent. ‘Guys like Kobe, they understand the game, culture,’ Marbury said. ‘He’s going to embrace Turkey. If you’re in China, you have to make sure you’re in the right place, the right frame of mind. It’s not like America.’ Asked about the travel, Marbury laughed. ‘Planes, trains and buses,’ Marbury said. Marbury related a story in which he was carrying one of his largest suitcases during a train trip from Jilin, China. Marbury said it was two miles from where they dropped the club off at the station to where the club picked up the train. ‘And I’m carrying this big bag two miles and said, ‘God, you know how to show me an experience,’ Marbury said laughing. ‘We rode the train with the people. It was like being on the D train. No private jets. It was a humbling experience. That’s why I love it so much. Not far removed from Coney Island.'”